Hiroki describes the journey of discovery that led him to the huge growth and sustained success of GoCardless. Inspired by the Oxford University Entrepreneurs’ Society and the likes of Mark Zuckerberg at Y Combinator, he and his fellow founders built a group payments solution on top of PayPal, developing a deep understanding of banking solutions and in particular direct debit. The rigors of Y Combinator’s Demo Day and early integration with KashFlow changed their direction and launched them on a path of rapid growth. Hiroki encapsulates his story “I have a very strong belief that even the best-laid plans never end up working out the way that you imagine. It’s not like there’s a straight line between start and success. It’s much more of a zig-zag.”